Fluid Transfer Coupler

The Low Separation Force Quick Disconnect device uses an innovative seal arrangement and flow path to eliminate separation force from line pressure. A radial design ensures a low separation force regardless of line pressure. Ten holes around the internal seal cancel loads due to balanced pressure; thus, the central force exerted on the device is due to the springs fixed internally. The device also provides for additional optional characteristics including a self-aligning feature from a compliant mount and a self-sealing mechanism that keeps dust out of the device. The Low Separation Force Quick Disconnect device is designed to transport pneumatics and cryogenic fluid. Due to the low separation force and overall design, the system requires less heavy and high-strength support structures than conventional designs; the design permits lighter retention systems and reduces deflection variations. Aerospace specific uses of the invention include flight-to-ground, flight-to-flight and surface-system applications. Other uses of the invention include any mechanism in which fluid is being transferred from ground to a vehicle or another system, especially where a high line pressure is used.

Both oscillators are flow control devices based on novel geometric designs. They have no moving parts and produce spatially oscillating jets. Each was designed to address a particular limitation of current oscillators. Gaining control authority by decoupling frequency and amplitude: Existing oscillators are limited in that the frequency of oscillation is controlled by input pressure or mass flow rate--the frequency and amplitude (mass flow rate) are coupled, limiting control authority over the oscillators. The new oscillator design decouples the frequency from the amplitude by employing a novel design featuring a main oscillator that controls the amplitude and a small oscillator that controls the frequency of the oscillations (see Figure 1). The decoupled oscillator delivers high (or low) mass flow rates without changing the frequency and vice versa. Gaining control authority by synchronizing the entire oscillator jet array: Existing oscillators in an array oscillate randomly. While this is useful for mixing enhancement, synchronized flow may be more beneficial for active flow control applications. The simple design of the new Langley synchronized oscillator achieves synchronization without having electro/mechanical or any other moving parts. The new oscillator enables synchronization of an entire array by properly designing the feedback loops to have one unique feedback signal to each actuator. Once each actuator has the same feedback signal, each main jet attaches to one side of the Coanda surface at the same time, allowing synchronized oscillation, as shown in Figure 2.

FSC is a passive technology that can operate in different modes to control vibration: Harmonic absorber mode: The fluid can be leveraged to act like a classic harmonic absorber to control low-frequency vibrations. This mode leverages already existing system mass to decouple a structural resonance from a discrete frequency forcing function or to provide a highly damped dead zone for responses across a frequency range. Shell mode: The FSC device can couple itself into the shell mode and act as an additional spring in a series, making the entire system appear dynamically softer and reducing the frequency of the shell mode. This ability to control the mode without having to make changes to the primary structure enables the primary structure to retain its load-carrying capability. Tuned mass damper mode: A small modification to a geometric feature allows the device to act like an optimized, classic tuned mass damper.

NASA GSFCs EHD pump uses electric fields to move a dielectric fluid coolant in a thermal loop to dissipate heat generated by electrical components with a low power system. The pump has only a few key components and no moving parts, increasing the simplicity and robustness of the system. In addition, the lightweight pump consumes very little power during operation and is modular in nature. The pump design takes a modular approach to the pumping sections by means of an electrically insulating cartridge casing that houses the high voltage and ground electrodes along with spacers that act as both an insulator and flow channel for the dielectric fluid. The external electrical connections are accomplished by means of commercially available pin and jack assemblies that are configurable for a variety of application interfaces. It can be sized to work with small electric components or lab-on-a-chip devices and multiple pumps can be placed in line for pumping greater distances or used as a feeder system for smaller downstream pumps. All this is done as a one-piece construction consolidating an assembly of 21 components over previous iterations.

The VARR valve has been designed to provide a variable-size aperture that proportionately changes in relation to gas flow demand. When the pressure delta between two chambers is low, the effective aperture cross-sectional area is small, while at high delta pressure the effective aperture cross-sectional area is large. This variable aperture prevents overly restricted gas flow. As shown in the drawing below, gas flow through the VARR valve is not one way. Gas flow can traverse through the device in a back-and-forth reversing flow manner or be used in a single flow direction manner. The contour shapes and spacing can be set to create a linear delta pressure vs. flow rate or other pressure functions not enabled by current standard orifices. Also, the device can be tuned to operate as a flow meter over an extremely large flow range as compared to fixed-orifice meters. As a meter, the device is capable of matching or exceeding the turbine meter ratio of 150:1 without possessing the many mechanical failure modes associated with turbine bearings, blades, and friction, etc.